The ASLA Medal is the highest honor the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) may bestow upon a landscape architect whose lifetime achievements and contributions to the profession have had a unique and lasting impact on the welfare of the public and the environment.

Now approaching the half-century mark, Peter Walker’s career encompasses learning from and working with such legends of the profession as Lawrence Halprin, FASLA, Stanley White, Dan Kiley, and Hideo Sasaki, FASLA. In addition to winning international acclaim for his designs, he has been a teacher and author. Most recently, Walker took center stage in the design world by partnering with architect Michael Arad to win the commission for the World Trade Center Memorial, arguably the most publicly scrutinized and emotionally charged design competition ever held. New Yorker columnist Paul Goldberger referred to him as the “mentor” in the winning partnership, while Washington Post design critic Benjamin Forgey described the complex arrangement of trees as “just the sort of sophisticated intrigue Walker has perfected in his five decade career.”